Golf is a widely popular sport that more than 60 million people in the world play on a regular or casual basis. There are more than 30,000 golf courses worldwide, each with its own unique geography. The variability of courses is at once a challenge that keeps the game of golf interesting and an obstacle for the competitive golfer to overcome.
Scores of golfing aids have been developed to assist golfers in improving their game, both at the learning or practice stage, and in more competitive situations of tournament play. Among these are devices useful for determining range and course characteristics, which in turn enable a golfer to estimate the club, stroke, force and trajectory that must be used to deliver a golf ball to a hole (cup) in the minimum number of strokes, which is the essence of the game of golf. Basic information about the various holes of a particular golf course, such as distance from the tee to the green, positions of hazards and other physical characteristics, may be available from the course management, from third parties (often for a fee), or may be complied by the individual golfer who records measurements and keeps notes about a particular course. Such maps and “yardage books” are only the beginning in assessing and mastering a course. More sophisticated technology is also available in the form of GPS systems, laser guides and rangefinders, computerized terrain and topography analysis devices, and even systems designed to predict the trajectory that a golf ball must take to fall into a golf cup.
However, such equipment can be expensive and cumbersome, often requiring mounting to a golf cart and protection from the elements of nature. More importantly, the rules and governing bodies of golf (e.g., The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) and The United States Golf Association (USGA)) disfavor the use of advanced technology and prohibit such devices during tournament play. Thus, golfers may use technologically advanced tools to learn and practice playing golf, but must wean themselves from the tool if they wish to participate in competitive play according to standardized rules.
There is thus a need for an uncomplicated, agile device to aid golfers in assessing the terrain of a golf course, which can be used in any situation, including competition, and is at once affordable, accessible and useful to a wide range of golfers—from the novice to the professional.